Global Narratives of HIV/AIDS at the Perkins Student Wall

On Nov. 28, artwork was hung by Duke students in Professor Kearsley (Karrie) Stewart’s “Global Narratives of HIV/AIDS” course. These students created the art from duplicated pages out of the Maria de Bruyn archive, now a part of the Rubenstein Library History of Medicine archives, leaving only selected words visible to reveal unexpected themes and ideas hidden within the original texts -- a method inspired by Thomas Phillips' book, "A Humument." 

Maria de Bruyn is a medical anthropologist who has worked for numerous international non-profit organizations in the field of sexual and reproductive health and rights with a special focus on HIV and AIDS and health-related human rights. 

The de Bruyn archive features AIDS-related literature, including de Bruyn's own writings, work from her consultancies and other training and workshops, and her subject files on topics such as HIV/AIDS, sexual and reproductive health, human rights, condoms, discrimination, youth, sex work, and women's health issues. Subject files include brochures, ephemera, and artifacts such as condoms, buttons, and objects de Bruyn collected from her travels around the world. 

The students' works will be exhibited on the Student Wall in Perkins Library to Feb. 1, 2017.